I'm a Real Teacher Again... I think?!

Today was the first day that I actually felt like a I was a real teacher again!! Whew!

I was beginning to get a little nervous that I wouldn't adapt back into Kinder life. It's been sink or swim the past week. I felt like I was sinking lower and lower and the light I saw as I looked up was too far to swim to and breathe. Today...I think my head hit the surface and I was able to gasp for air and float!!!

I need to remember NOT to keep bringing work home. I did so much stuff that it almost consumed my entire weekend! I told myself I'm not going to do that anymore because it stresses me out too much, I have no life, and I'm exhausted!! I may just babysit my bag and let it ride with me in the car so I won't feel too guilty not doing any work. Lower grade teachers are queen's of teacher bags!! A bag for this, a bag for that...guess I'm a bag lady! Haha! I'm going to start looking like one if I continue at the pace I'm going. Heehee! Work will always be there and there will always be something for me to "find" to do. NO MORE I say...ok, I talk a big talk as I sit here looking at my bag of things I should do. Haha!

Yay! All my munchkins came back after the weekend off. I had one little silent crier but she was ok once we started our day. They're such brave little souls!

I had to start a routine with them for my own sanity!! I couldn't do too many whole group activities all day anymore because I wanted and needed to see if they could start following instructions and work with some independence in some areas. We continued our Rug Activities/Calendar whole group because they're still very dependent and need my guidance. Pretty soon I'll have one munchkin who will rise to the top to take over my role and soon there after they'll all get a chance to lead the class. I can't wait for that day!!! That's the fun part to see my little mini me's...they start to sound like me. :) Immediately after we did our letters/sounds, chants, songs, poem, and we learned two new words...I...am...from our poem. We were able to put them together with our first word...me...and formed our first sentence...I am me! Yay!! The majority of them got this concept which totally shocked me. Some may not hold a crayon if their life depended on it but they learned I am me! I know I'm still a little in 1st and 2nd grade mode but they got it!!! That'll be it for now because I really have to go back and make sure we all know that these letters make words and words make sentences. This will take a looooong time because 4 call the letters~ numbers! Ay dios mio!!!

My munchkins did actually very well sitting on the rug during their rug time. Their squirm factor is easing up! They can sit a little longer now! Sit...roll over! Heehee J/k I decided today to introduce part of their Workstations (Centers). I learned once from an awesome presenter to call them workstations versus centers because they will hear the word work and associate it as a job that they need to do. Even though it may be fun, they're still doing "work." I tell them if they went to PreK they did "centers" now they're bigger and smarter and their doing "workstations."

My workstations are different areas of the room where they do different activities in that specific area. Each teacher manages their own workstations/centers differently. I don't do the more traditional way of letting the students go anywhere in the room if there is an open spot at that workstation/center and then rotate every 15 min or so. Ahhhhh...that's too crazy for me and kids will be all over the place. My workstations/centers are designed into 5 main areas of the room with plenty of back up activities once they are done with the main activity. Actually that's how their little desks are grouped...into the 5 areas. My groups or tables are color coded and the munchkins rotate their little bodies daily. I have a Red (Poetry Station), Yellow (ABC), Blue (Writing), Purple (Reading), and Green (Book Making) group. For example, the first day of workstations/centers they would stay at their "home" group. Today during our Literacy Workstation time, whomever sat at the Blue group stayed there and poof!...it is now the "Writing" Station. I only introduced two things they could do in each area for now. That group would practice writing their name, then their 2nd activity would be to use the playdoh to spell their names. Each group has different activities and they learn to stay within that area and then the following day each group rotates. They each get a chance to go through all the workstations/centers within a weeks time. Eventually I will add more things to do at their workstations for them to use once I see they understand the rules of what they are using. There can be up to 20 activities going on at once so I have to make sure I'm structured or I'll run out pulling my hair. Keeping them a little more structured helps me know where each child is and not racing from one end of the room to another. I may just have confused whomever is reading this or not..heehee! Workstations/centers help my munchkins with their independence and when it gets to be smooth sailing for them this is when I can start calling smaller groups up to work on Reading.

I explained each group to my munchkins and what they were allowed to do in their group and how they would switch tomorrow to the next station. I had to do a lot of modeling for them and put on my floaties as I watched them in their workstations. I knew I was going to sink if this didn't work. I could hear the music from Jaws in my head! I thought I might be rushing things and they may not be ready for this...I was ready to go down in two bites!! Which munchkin was going to chew me up and spit me out first?...Then that's when it hit me...they were doing it!! They were working in their groups, having fun, AND they were whispering!!! (you know how hard it is to teach whispering?!..haha!) Yay!!! No floaties any more for me! I had to run for my camera and take pictures of them working! It started to come back to me...I do know what I'm doing!! I'm a Kinder teacher again!!! I felt like Rocky running up the stairs...!!! ~ummm teacher why are you're arms up like that?...oops! Haha!! I may still push them because of the 1st and 2nd grade expectations but it won't hurt them, I'll just slap myself a few times and get back into Kinder mode! :)

Tonight I had to go back to work in the evening for Parent Information night. It's so hard to go back in the evening but I knew I had to because this is the first time that I'll have all my parents with me and I have to lay the law down! haha! I was pleased to see that I had a very good turn out, all but 2 showed up. I ranted about my expectations and stressed how they need to do their share in helping their munchkin this year. It looks like they are a good group of parents and very supportive. Whew...I was nervous!

Tomorrow is another day in another week in munchkinville and I hope it continues on the same path as today so I can bury the floaties! Is it bad that I'm counting down for the long weekend ahead?...heehee! Stay tuned for new adventures...

XOXO's